How to Replace a Pull Start on a Lawnmower
- 1). Measure and write down the distance from the lawnmower handle to the ground. Measure and write down the distance from the top of the handle to where the cord enters the housing on top of the engine. Find the sum of these two numbers. Add 12 inches to find the total length of rope needed for replacement.
- 2). Unscrew each of the four screws holding the disc chamber on top of the engine. Unscrew the screw in the center of the cover. Place the screws in a container for safe keeping. Remove the cover and set it aside.
- 3). Remove the disc from the chamber using either a wrench or screwdriver, depending on your lawn mower. Unscrew the bolt at the center of the disc. Pull the bolt straight up and out. Pull the disc out the same way, being careful not to bend the spring attached to the disc.
- 4). Unwind the cord from the disc. Identify the direction of the cord by finding the directional arrow on the side of the disc. This will help you wind the new pull cord later. The cord is wound either clockwise or counter-clockwise and must be rewound in reverse to how you unwound it using the arrow as a guide.
- 5). Cut the old cord at the disc with the knife. Untie the handle from the other end of the cord.
- 6). Look for the hole along the side of the disc. Set the new cord into this hole. Pull the cord through the hole far enough to tie a knot inside the disc. Tie a knot large enough to keep the cord from sliding through the hole.
- 7). Wrap the cord around the disc in the same direction as the arrow twice.
- 8). Set the disc back into the housing. Fit the spring into place. Line up the notch on the disc with the hole in the housing. Pull the cord through the hole in the housing.
- 9). Put the bolt back into the center of the disc. Tighten the bolt down.
- 10
Put the housing back over the chamber. Line up the holes in the housing with the screw holes. Screw the housing back into place. - 11
Slip the other end of the cord through the hole in the handle. Tie the handle to the cord.